Erdoğan Turan, Kocaman Sinan Altan, Çetin Mustafa, Durakoğlugil Murtaza Emre, Uğurlu Yavuz, Şahin İsmail, Çanga Aytun
Department of Cardiology, Rize University Medical Faculty, Turkey.
Intern Med. 2013;52(1):29-36. doi: 10.2169/internalmedicine.52.7842. Epub 2013 Jan 1.
Premature graying or whitening of the hair may possibly represent premature atherosclerotic changes as a surrogate marker of different host responses to cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs). This study was undertaken to test whether carotid artery intima-media thickness (CIMT) as a validated surrogate marker of the severity and extent of coronary artery disease (CAD) is higher in subjects with prominent signs of hair whitening, independent of chronological age and other CVRFs.
The current study was conducted in young and middle-aged patients (<55 years age) without a history of cardiovascular disease. Two hundred and two eligible patients consecutively admitted to our outpatient clinic for CVRF management were included. A gray/white-hair scale was used to determine the percentage of hair whitening.
In the groups determined according to the degree of hair whitening, age (p<0.001), waist circumference (p=0.011), the presence of hypertension (p=0.003), the uric acid levels (p=0.008), the C - reactive protein levels (p=0.002) and CIMT (p<0.001) were significantly different. When we performed multivariate analyses to determine the independent predictors of CIMT and hair whitening, CIMT was found to be related to age, waist circumference, the levels of uric acid, bilirubin and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase, the presence of a family history of CAD and hair whitening, while hair whitening was found to be related to age, hypertension, the bilirubin level and CIMT.
Our findings suggest that premature hair whitening intensity is independently related to CIMT. In cumulative assessments of CVRFs on the human body, the presence of premature hair whitening may be useful in identifying individuals with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
头发过早变白可能代表过早出现动脉粥样硬化改变，作为不同宿主对心血管危险因素（CVRF）反应的替代标志物。本研究旨在测试，作为已得到验证的冠状动脉疾病（CAD）严重程度和范围的替代标志物，颈动脉内膜中层厚度（CIMT）在有明显白发迹象的受试者中是否更高，且不受实际年龄和其他CVRF的影响。
本研究针对无心血管疾病病史的中青年患者（年龄<55岁）开展。纳入了连续到我们门诊进行CVRF管理的202名符合条件的患者。使用灰/白发量表来确定白发的百分比。
在根据白发程度确定的组中，年龄（p<0.001）、腰围（p=0.011）、高血压的存在（p=0.003）、尿酸水平（p=0.008）、C反应蛋白水平（p=0.002）和CIMT（p<0.001）存在显著差异。当我们进行多变量分析以确定CIMT和白发的独立预测因素时，发现CIMT与年龄、腰围、尿酸、胆红素和γ-谷氨酰转肽酶水平、CAD家族史的存在以及白发有关，而白发与年龄、高血压、胆红素水平和CIMT有关。
我们的研究结果表明，过早白发的强度与CIMT独立相关。在对人体CVRF的累积评估中，过早出现白发可能有助于识别心血管疾病风险增加的个体。
